


can we meet in the middle

by xflatline



Series: 97 Squad + Friends [3]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, America, England - Freeform, Festival, M/M, Sequel, Some Fluff, Some angst, band au, dojae gets mentioned, i still suck at tagging i'm sorry, long distance, meanie au, nothing too graphic, thank god they have best friends, the 97 boys are in a band
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:48:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27924052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xflatline/pseuds/xflatline
Summary: Mingyu and Wonwoo meet at a festival and hit it off immediately.The catch?They live on two different sides of the world.
Relationships: Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu
Series: 97 Squad + Friends [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1813462
Comments: 2
Kudos: 65





	can we meet in the middle

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello,
> 
> welcome to my first finished meanie au in years. I hope you will enjoy it. Technically it's a sequel to my dojae au "you're my favorite place", but you don't have to read that one to understand what's going on here.
> 
> I really like the thought of the 97 boys being in a poppunk band, hence I created this universe.
> 
> Mingyu - Drums  
> Seokmin - Lead Vocals  
> Jaehyun - Guitar  
> Jeongguk - Guitar  
> Yugyeom - Bass  
> Minghao & Bambam - Merch Design, Creative Heads  
> Eunwoo - Manager
> 
> The title is taken from Pvris' You & I, which also gets quoted at the end.
> 
> I also listened a lot to:
> 
> Point North ft Kellin Quinn - Into the dark  
> Corpse - Never Satisfied, White Tee  
> Hot Milk - California's Burning  
> Bring Me The Horizon - Teardrops  
> Waterparks - Lowkey as Hell  
> Pvris - the entire white noise (deluxe version)  
> MGK - kiss kiss  
> Simple Creatures - thanks, I hate it
> 
> I hope you enjoy this x
> 
> \- Ann
> 
> (i proofread this myself and i am not a native english speaker, so i'm sorry for any vocab or grammar errors)

Mingyu is having the time of his life.

He’s currently standing on stage at a festival he always dreamed of performing at with his best friends doing what he loves the most. Well, technically he is sitting. He plays drums after all, but you get the picture.

And it’s only the soundcheck, which means there are only a few tech people running around, trying to fix some technical problems and all that stuff. 

The actual festival doesn’t start for another hour, but they’re up quite early because they’re still small, but it’s the Breakout Stage and many artists, who performed on that stage hit it big later on. Just like Limitless, who they had the pleasure of touring with earlier this year.

It’s their first time in England and Mingyu is excited to see all the european fans who kept tweeting them they’re excited to see 97 Squad play for the first time. He understands how they feel because even now, there are still bands he hasn’t seen yet and definitely plans on seeing one day.

“Okay, that was nice. I think you guys are set!” A tech guy shouts and gives them a thumbs up. 

“I think so too.” Eunwoo says, already typing on his phone, probably updating their twitter band account.

“Nice, I’m super hungry.” Jeongguk exclaims.

Mingyu agrees. It’s not like they haven’t eaten yet, but playing music makes them hungry.

“Let’s order Pizza. I’m not into trying out any weird british food yet.” Yugyeom yawns.

Seokmin rolls his eyes. “This would be your chance to broaden your horizon though.”

“Maybe when I’m less tired and we actually played our set.” 

Minghao chuckles. “Okay, are we all good with Pizza…? Jae, you too?” He addresses the boy, who's currently glued to his phone, giggling over something. Probably something Doyoung, his boyfriend, had sent him.

“Ehh what? Yes sure, whatever.” Jaehyun replies, not even bothering to look up.

“Whipped.” 

As much as they all like to tease Jaehyun about being whipped for Doyoung, Mingyu is actually quite jealous. Not because he likes either of them that way. He’s jealous of the relationship the two have. 

Mingyu is your designated single since birth dude. That being said: he did have some crushes, but they never ended up somewhere, which, for a romantic guy like Mingyu, is quite hurtful and it does make him sad from time to time. Lately he has been thinking that there’s just not someone for him.

“You okay?” Jeongguk comes up behind him, slinging his arm around Mingyus waist.

“Huh? … Yes, sorry I zoned out for a bit.” Mingyu leans into the side hug. 

At one point during high school he had a pretty big crush on his best friend, especially when Jeongguk had decided to get his first tattoo, just when he had turned 18 and Mingyu was a sucker for tattoos. But Mingyu never acted on his feelings, mainly because even though they were only high schoolers back then, they were also pretty serious about this band thing and he didn’t want anything to mess up.

Up until this day he hasn’t told Jeongguk that he liked him in a romantic way at one point. And thankfully his crush went away when Jeongguk got into his first serious relationship.

“I saw. Nervous about later?”

“A bit. But honestly, I’m mostly excited. This could be such a big step for us.”

“It will be a big step for us.” Seokmin comes up on his other side, tiptoeing to ruffle Mingyus hair. 

Despite being the tallest, Mingyu probably gets babied the most by his friends. They say it’s because of his puppy-like behaviour. And Mingyu is so used to it by now, he just lets it happen without saying anything.

Hopefully it really will be a big step for them.

😊

“Thank you so much. We will be at our merch table in a bit to chat with everyone who wants to. It was a pleasure to play for you guys. This is our last song, have an incredible day!”

Mingyu slowly counts to three and begins to play the last song on their setlist.

Adrenaline is pumping through his veins and he doesn’t actually want the song to finish. He doesn’t want to leave the stage, doesn’t want to stop playing for the people who are jumping, moshing while singing along to songs they wrote.

This is where he belongs.

They finish their set cleanly. 

Mingyu feels a little bit overwhelmed because so many people are screaming for an encore which they can’t give because the time schedules are tight, but just knowing that people enjoyed them playing so much they want more, makes him very happy.

He tries to smile at all of them and waves at as many people as possible before he actually has to leave the stage.

Backstage they pull into a group hug. 

“Fuck, you guys were so good.” Bambam tightens his grip on whoever his arms can reach.

“Did you see the amount of people who had no idea who we were and just came to see us because they had nothing better to do and seemingly ended up enjoying it?” Seokmin beams. 

“Let’s clean up and then go to merch, you have people to talk to and we have merch to sell.” Minghao announces.

They pack up their stuff quickly and make their way to the garage where the merch stands are located. The weather is actually quite nice. It’s not raining, just a bit cloudy, but still warm. The perfect festival weather in Mingyus opinion.

They spend the next hour talking to all their fans, old and new ones, signing cds, taking pictures and writing down lyrics as possible tattoos. It’s incredible people actually want that. Mingyu has a handwritten one himself, it was one of his first and it means a lot to him so to have people asking him to have his handwriting tattooed on them is a pretty big deal to him. He tries to write as prettily as he can.

“I got this right after you released the album. It just means a lot to me.” A girl is currently showing them one of her tattoos. It’s not huge, just a little sun, but it’s connected to one of their songs of Drowning In The Unknown, and it’s not the first time people got something related to their music tattooed, but it’s incredible every time they come across someone who did. It’s incredible they get to inspire and help people with their music. 

They all hug her and she radiates happiness.

Mingyu feels his phone vibrate. Taking a look at the time he hastily puts it back into his pocket. 

“Guys, Good Charlotte are about to play, I’m off, okay?”

“Sure thing, see you later.” Jaehyun waves at him. The rest already being in new conversations.

And Mingyu takes off to see one of his favorite bands play.

:-)

Wonwoo loves festivals.

He loves watching bands play, he loves moshing and he loves singing along to the lyrics. 

And he hates missing out on bands he wants to see because his best friend is late again.

Which is currently happening because Soonyoung is nowhere to be seen. And Wonwoo isn’t an ass who would just leave by himself without telling him even though he probably should. But he is nice and so he stands in front of the festival's entry impatiently waiting for Soonyoung Kwon to finally show up.

He checks the list of bands he’d like to see play again and sighs. He’s so gonna miss at least one of them.

“Wonwoo? Wonwoo Jeon?” Someone exclaims right next to him. 

He turns around and spots a girl he shares some classes with at university. She seems very surprised to see him, which doesn’t surprise Wonwoo. He’s aware that people only see him as the quiet sweater paws boy, who likes to read a lot.

“Yeah, hi Evie.” He replies.

“Wow, this is the last place I would’ve expected to see you.”

“Yeah…” He awkwardly scratches his neck.

“Well, have fun.” She says, realizing he won’t say much else and leaves.

“Thanks. You too.” He mumbles, even though he knows she’s already gone.

“You look like you’ve swallowed a sock.”

Wonwoo shrieks and turns around and is greeted with the sight of his best friend. “The fuck, Soonyoung.”

Soonyoung Kwon just grins. “Sorry I’m late, I overslept.”

Wonwoo just rolls his eyes. “Whatever, can we go now?”

“Yes. First stop: Hot Milk.” Soonyoung almost jumps for excitement. “I started listening to them yesterday and let me tell you, they’re amazing, so we have to check them out.”

“We?” 

“I know for a fact that the band you wanted to see first only plays for five more minutes and I hate to break it to you, but you won’t make it in time anymore.”

“And whose fault is that?” Wonwoo glares at him.

“Mine. And I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you. Food’s on me today.”

Wonwoo rolls his eyes again before he remembers something. “Wait, didn’t you want to see that band, who supported Limitless on their US tour? Because you thought their singer was cute?”

Soonyoung shrugs. “He’s still cute, but I’ve decided to not be shallow for once and actually see someone whose music I know.”

“You know you could’ve just given them a listen too?”

“I tried, but I got distracted by his beautiful face when I tried to watch their music video.”

Wonwoo snorts. “Wow, what a problem.”

“Exactly. Now come on, you will love Hot Milk.”

:-)

Soonyoung is right.

He usually is, he is Wonwoos best friend after all and knows what he likes. 

The day has been pretty good so far. Wonwoo has seen most of the bands he wanted to, he was especially glad to not have missed Broadside since it’s been ages since he last had seen them. 

And now he’s standing in the crowd to see Good Charlotte, his favorite band of all time, play and he feels himself buzzing with excitement. 

He feels the familiar chords of Generation Rx and feels the people moving around him.

He doesn’t think of anything anymore, just lets the music take the control over his body.

Until he straight up knocks into someone, which makes them both fall on the ground. 

Thankfully the song is almost over and people have noticed them and are helping them up again. Wonwoo looks at the person he knocked into and meets eyes with a tall dude clad in a black band shirt, black skinny ripped jeans, tattoos visible on his arms and peeking through the rips of his jeans, vans and a nose ring.

_“Cute.”_ Wonwoos brain very helpfully supplies.

Then he realizes that the cute dude is bleeding.

“Oh fuck, I’m so sorry.” 

The dude's face twists into confusion and Wonwoo realizes he hasn’t heard him because there’s a concert going on.

So he grabs the dude's arm and pulls him out of the crowd.

“I’m so sorry.” He blurts out as soon as he thinks talking is possible.

To his surprise, cute dude just grins. “It’s all good, no need to apologize.”

“But you’re bleeding.”

Tall dude just shrugs. “Not the first time. As long as I don’t break any bones, I think I’m good.”

“Well, I’m still sorry and I also think you should at least disinfect that cut, so I’m gonna take you to one of the paramedics.”

“You really don’t have to.”

“But I want to. I’m Wonwoo by the way.”

Tall dude smiles. “I’m Mingyu. Nice to meet you.”

Wonwoo smiles and leads the way to the paramedic tent. He’s been there a couple of times in the past so he knows where the closest one is located.

“So, you like Good Charlotte?” Mingyu asks him.

“Yeah. I grew up with their music, they’re my favorite band.”

“Nice. They’re one of mine too. Who else have you seen play today?”

“Hot Milk, Broadside, Movements and Trophy Eyes. I wanted to see a couple more, but the times didn’t add up well. And you?”

“Ah.” Mingyu scratches his neck. “I only went to see Good Charlotte.”

Wonwoo stops. “Oh god and now you’re missing out on them because I had to knock into you.”

Mingyu holds up his hands. “No, no, it’s all good. It’s not my first time seeing them and they only had a couple of songs left, so it’s really no big deal.”

They continue talking about music and bands and realize they like a lot of the same bands.

It’s easy talking to Mingyu, Wonwoo decides. There’s just something about him that’s easy-going and he seems super interested in everything Wonwoo says. The only other person Wonwoo gets that feeling from is Soonyoung. 

They don’t even stop talking after Mingyu gets his cut cleaned. 

Somewhere along the way they stopped talking about music and started talking about just everything. And Wonwoo really likes it.

They’re on their way to the merch stands when two girls come up to them. Giggling. Wonwoo frowns. They seem to approach Mingyu.

“Hi, oh my god sorry, but we saw you play earlier and we just wanted to say it was a great show and we were wondering if we could take a picture with you.” One of them says.

Wait, what?

Mingyu just smiles. “Thank you, it means a lot. And yes sure!”

The second girl shoves her phone into Wonwoos hands. “Can you please take the picture? Thank you.”

Wonwoo, a bit taken aback, just nods and takes a couple of pics with the girls standing next to Mingyu, who seems like he’s used to all of this.

“Thank you again. Hopefully you’ll come back to England soon.” Girl one says.

“We hope so too.” Mingyu replies and waves them goodbye.

Wonwoo looks at him. “Is there anything you want to tell me?”

Mingyu grins shyly. “Sorry. Uhm … I may play drums in a band. But we’re still super small, so it’s really no big deal.”

Wonwoo raises one eyebrow. “Well, they recognized you so I guess it kinda is a big deal.”

Mingyu shrugs. “No, it really is not. And I just had a lot fun talking to you about all the other things and I never know how to bring it up anyways without sounding like someone who just wants to brag about being in a band, you know.”

Wonwoo sees where he comes from and he’s not even mad or anything. There’s no reason to because he hasn’t even known Mingyu for more than an hour. 

“It’s all good. But now you have to tell me the name of your band so I can go and give your music a listen.”

“It’s 97 Squad.”

Wonwoo snorts.

“Hey, we were in high school and the name fits and it does make us stand out.” Mingyu groans.

“Sorry, but it’s just very funny.” Then he remembers something. “Wait, didn’t you support Limitless in the states?”

Mingyu smiles even wider. “Yeah we did. We’re under the same label. It was honestly the best experience of my life.”

“Ahh I almost went to see you guys earlier. My best friend Soonyoung thinks your singer is cute.”

Mingyu doesn’t ask why they didn’t go see them, but instead just snorts.

Wonwoo grins. “He also said he couldn’t check out your guys’ music because he got too distracted by his beautiful face.”

Mingyu laughs. “I’m so telling Seokmin. It’s gonna boost his self-confidence.”

“Please do.” Wonwoo grins.

They arrive at the merch stands. Mingyu points to a stand not far away where a couple of guys are eating Pizza. 

“That’s my band.” He says, fondly watching how two of them are arguing about the last piece.

“How did you guys come together?” Wonwoo wants to know. He obviously doesn’t know them and has talked to Mingyu for only a bit for now, but the way he looks at his bandmates and how they act with each other: they seem to have known each other for a very long time.

“There’s no real story behind it to be honest.” Mingyu says. “We all have been best friends since High School except for Eunwoo, he’s our manager, and all liked music. I think it was at one of our drunk jam sessions, when we decided to apply as a band to our High School Talent Show. We ended up liking making music together so much that we decided to continue this band thing and see where it would take us.”

“Seems like it has been working well for you.”

Mingyu smiles. “It has. Most of us dropped out of college for it. It probably wasn’t the best decision and I’m still taking online classes in literature and creative writing, but this is what we want to do right now.”

Wonwoo smiles. “So this is your dream?”

“It is! But honestly we were just really lucky.”

Wonwoo hums.

Mingyu opens his mouth but gets interrupted by Wonwoos phone which starts to vibrate aggressively.

“Wait, sorry, it’s probably Soonyoung.” Wonwoo stammers, pulling his phone out of his back pocket. And of course, it’s his best friend.

“What?”

“Dude where are you.” Soonyoung almost screams into his ear. “We need to leave like right now, our last train is leaving in 20.”

Wonwoo glances at his phone and it really is quite late. Has he really been talking to Mingyu for so long?

“I’m at the merch area. Sorry I kind of forgot about the time.” Wonwoo answers sheepishly.

“Well whatever, I’m already at the exit.” Soonyoung replies. “And you better hurry because I do not plan on spending the night at a train station.”

“Guess you have to leave now.”

Wonwoos sighs. “Yeah, our train is leaving soon and if we miss it, we would have to spend like 5 hours at the train station and let me tell you that’s no fun.”

“Sounds like you’ve been through that already.” Mingyu grins.

Wonwoo scratches the back of his neck. “Maybe.”

“Well it was nice talking to you!” Mingyu isn’t grinning anymore but smiling rather softly at him. 

“Likewise.” Wonwoo doesn’t want to leave. He doesn’t know what it is about Mingyu that makes talking to him so easy, but it is something Wonwoo rarely ever experiences, so he really doesn’t want to stop talking to him. “It was also really nice meeting you.”

Mingyu is beaming. “Likewise.” He pauses. “Would it be weird for me to ask for your number? It’s just that I really enjoyed talking to you.” He finally says.

Wonwoo feels a blush creeping up his face. “Sure.”

They exchange numbers and before he can really dwell on the most appropriate way to say goodbye to someone you basically just met, but spend an hour talking to, Mingyu has pulled him into a short hug.

“I’ll text you later.” Wonwoo manages to say.

He feels Mingyu nodding and then he’s released and fuck he really has to hurry now.

“Bye.” Mingyu shouts after him.

Wonwoo smiles.

And actually makes it in time to the exit. Thankfully the train station isn’t too far away and they make it with two minutes to spare.

“Sooo, you wanna tell me where the hell you were?” Soonyoung raises his eyebrows, but there is a smirk playing around the corner of his mouth, so Wonwoo knows he’s not mad or anything. Just interested. Very interested.

Wonwoo feels himself blushing again. “I just met someone.”

Soonyoung grins. “And…?”

Wonwoo slaps his best friend's arm. “And nothing. I accidently injured him and then we started talking and that’s it.”

“That’s it?” Soonyoung yells out. 

“Dude, keep quiet.” Wonwoo hisses. “Otherwise someone might murder you for being too loud.” People are already looking at them and they don’t look very happy. Understandable since it’s the middle of the night and everyone in the train is tired and wants to go home.

“Wonwoo, you realize that you talking to a stranger willingly for more than five minutes isn’t really happening all that often?” Soonyoung excitedly whispers. “Tell me everything about him.”

Wonwoo groans. “I’m serious, there’s not much to talk about.”

But Soonyoung just looks at him, wearing that particular look of his and Wonwoo knows he won’t get out of this.

“His name is Mingyu. He’s in that band you think the singer’s cute and he was just nice and easy to talk to. Really that’s it.” 

“Wait what?” Soonyoung yells again. 

Wonwoo just glares at him again.

Soonyoung rolls his eyes. “Sorry, but what the fuck?” 

“I didn’t know, okay? I ran into him while moshing and accidently hurt him and didn’t want him to go to the medics alone and on the way we started talking and I had no idea who he was until some fans asked him for a picture.”

“You really are something, Wonwoo Jeon.” Soonyoung snorts. “Did you at least get his phone number?”

Wonwoo rolls his eyes. “Yes I did, but I doubt I’ll ever use it. Sure he was nice, but you know I suck at texting and it’s not like …” He stops talking. He did tell Mingyu he would text him later. Why did he do that?

“It’s not like what?” 

“Urgh I don’t know. It’s not going to go anywhere, so can we drop it please.”

Soonyoung huffs but doesn’t poke any further.

Wonwoo leans his head at the window, it’s pitch-black outside and the only thing he sees is his own reflection. He can’t believe he told Mingyu, basically a total stranger even if it doesn’t feel like it, he would text him. Wonwoo never really texts anyone. Except Soonyoung obviously.

But there’s something about Mingyu that intrigues him.

:-)

He still hasn’t texted.

Mingyu is fully aware of the fact he could just text Wonwoo first as well, but there’s something holding him back. Which is weird because usually Mingyu has no problems texting people at all. So what makes this any different?

“Dude, we have to board now.” Jeongguk comes up next to him, slinging his arm around Mingyus waist.

Mingyu sighs, puts his phone away and snuggles into Jeongguks embrace. He knows he’s sulking, but he can’t help it. Wonwoo was just too cute and easy to talk to and he made Mingyus stomach flutter. Which, for the record, does not happen often.

“Pouty baby.” Jeongguk indulges into babying Mingyu for a minute because he’s been Mingyus best friend since elementary school and knows him inside out. Which also means he will start teasing him soon enough.

“Is he still sulking because the dude he talked to still hasn’t texted him?” 

“Does he know he can text him first as well?” 

“Maybe he isn’t texting because he isn’t interested and I was too forward.” Mingyu is fully pouting while falling into his seat like a potato sack. He checks his phone for the last time before he finally shuts it off.

“Please dear lord send help.” He hears Minghao whispering, but he chooses to ignore him.

“Don’t overthink it.” Eunwoo, who sits to his right, pats his arm. “He didn’t seem like the type of guy who tells empty promises.”

Mingyu just closes his eyes. He hasn’t slept much the past days, maybe he is just sleep-deprived and will stop worrying about whether Wonwoo will text him back or not when he has finally managed to catch up on some sleep.

Wonwoo is just a dude, who he talked to at a festival. He doesn’t even know his last name, his age or birthday. He shouldn’t be hung up on something as trivial as Wonwoo not texting him.

But for some reason he is and he really has no idea why.

:-)

Wonwoo stares at his phone.

**Hey! It’s Wonwoo! You know the one who accidently ran you over...**

He deletes it. 

Again.

He has lost count of how many times he has tried to type out a message to Mingyu. He deleted every single one of them. They all sound weird to him, some too desperate, some too try-hard and Wonwoo has really no idea what he wants to achieve with texting Mingyu in the first place.

  
He is really not made out for texting.

He thought about asking Soonyoung for help, but as much as he loves his best friend, he would’ve been useless. Soonyoung texts with too many abbreviations and too many emojis and that’s really not Wonwoos style. He wants the message to sound like him.

But how does he achieve that?

Is he overthinking this? Soonyoung would say so. But Soonyoung thinks thinking about something for more than 5 seconds is overthinking so he’s not a reliable source.

He has also thought about asking Junhui, who’s his oldest friend next to Soonyoung and Jihoon Lee, but somehow Wonwoo doesn’t want to make this a huge thing. Because it’s not. It shouldn’t be.

And asking Jihoon was never an option because he sucks at human interaction even more than Wonwoo. He also doesn’t like people very much and prefers to stay holed up in his studio.

He groans. Why hasn’t Mingyu texted him instead? 

_“Because you said you would text and he’s probably on a plane flying home right now.”_ His mind helpfully supplies.

He picks up his phone again and drafts out another message. This really shouldn’t be as hard as he is making it out to be. 

**To Mingyu:**

**Hey! Have a safe journey home!**

His thumb hovers over the delete button. He takes a deep breath and presses send.

He gets up, puts his phone down and opens Word. He figures there’s no better distraction than writing an essay for uni. And he really needs to get this done anyways.

And on the other side of the world Mingyu gets off the plane to a new message, which maybe makes his heart skip a little bit.

:-)

It’s been a month since Wonwoo and Mingyu first met and started texting and both have learned a lot about each other.

Wonwoo knows now that Mingyus last name is Kim and that he’s a year younger than Wonwoo. He also knows that Mingyu texts without capital letters and dots, kind of like he talks. He also sends Wonwoo a lot of pictures of any animal he finds cute and Wonwoo finds it endearing.

He knows he’s harbouring a small crush on Mingyu. And he really can’t be blamed for that. Mingyu is just like an overgrown puppy. Well mostly. When he’s on stage he’s a beast. Wonwoo is kind of glad he hasn’t seen it live yet and only through his laptop screen.

But he also sees it realistically, Mingyu lives on the other side of the world and if there’s one thing Wonwoo is bad at, it’s maintaining friendships. He doesn’t believe in long distance relationships either.

He is also very sure it’s just a tiny crush and Mingyu will grow tired of him eventually.

Mingyu on the other hand has learned that Wonwoos last name is Jeon and that he’s a year older than him. Wonwoo texts in full sentences and correct spelling and grammar. Something Mingyu had given up on years ago.

Mingyu is also very sure he likes Wonwoo very much. They text all the time and Mingyu knows his heart is always beating a little faster when he sees a new message.

It doesn’t help that Wonwoo isn’t just the cutest person he possibly has ever met, but he’s also just adorable when ranting about his favorite tv show or when he gets lost in talking about a new book he just read. Mingyu loves it.

He doesn’t know what Wonwoo thinks, but Mingyu likes to believe they flirt quite a bit. It’s always playful, but also meaningful. At least Mingyu means it. Especially when he’s complimenting Wonwoo, which happens more often than not. But he really can’t help it, there is just so much that he admires about the older.

He hopes Wonwoo feels the same way.

“Gyu? Are you even listening to me?” 

“Huh?” He looks up from where he is staring at a music sheet.

Seokmin sits across from him, frowning. 

Mingyu smiles sheepishly. “No, sorry.”

Seokmin sighs exaggeratedly. “Let me guess, you thought of Wonwoo.” It’s not even a question.

Mingyu blushes, which apparently is answer enough for Seokmin.

“Somehow I feel like you’re going to be worse than Jaehyun.”

“Hey. I wasn’t that bad.”, complains Jaehyun from where he is sitting on the couch of their practice room, a guitar on his lap.

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that.” Yugyeom snorts.

“At least I’m not in denial of my feelings.” Mingyu mutters.

“But will you act on them?”

“I don’t even know if he likes me like that. I’m not going to make a fool out of myself.” Mingyu replies even though he definitely has thought about confessing. He doesn’t like keeping secrets much, the only secret he ever really had was his crush on Jeongguk.

“Just go for it.” Jeongguk says. “Even if he doesn’t like you back, you’re not the type of person to make things super awkward. I wish I could do that.” He sounds kind of wistful.

“Maybe.” Mingyu decides to say. He doesn’t really want to dwell on the topic for much longer. As much as he loves and trusts his band mates, he kind of wants to deal with his crush on his own. At least for the time being.

Seokmin looks like he wants to say something, but Jeongguk nudges him in the side so he doesn’t.

“Okay enough of the boy talk, I think I recall a new song that desperately needs to be practised.” Yugyeom shoves a sheet of paper into Seokmins face.

Seokmin rolls his eyes but is thankfully distracted.

Mingyus phone vibrates and he knows it’s Wonwoo and as much as he wants to reply immediately, he also knows it would end up in more teasing and he’s had enough of that for today.

He puts his phone into his backpack without looking at the message, he would only get distracted and Yugyeom is right. They should practice.

Which is not as easy as it sounds.

Because Jeongguk has planted this seed of Mingyu confessing to Wonwoo. And it’s not that Mingyu hasn’t thought about that before. About confessing.

And Mingyu doesn’t like to think of himself as a coward. Sure, he’s a bit clumsy and all, but usually he likes to be honest and straightforward about his feelings. But this is different.

Because what if he is reading the entire situation wrong?

What if he is the only one flirting?

He does sometimes suck at reading the room. He likes to think of himself as not that oblivious as Jaehyun for example, but what if he is?

He knows Wonwoo pretty well by now and he knows Wonwoo is rather shy and doesn’t like to talk about feelings much. And him not reciprocating Mingyus feelings would probably end up with him feeling bad about it and then he would stop talking to Mingyu.

And that is something Mingyu really doesn’t want.

“Gyu, are you with us?”

Mingyu jerks up, he’s been so into his head he hasn’t realized everyone has stopped playing. And everyone is looking at him.

“Sorry, what?”

“You’ve been a beat behind.” Yugyeom explains. “And it’s all good, we all know you’re in love and all and it’s complicated and we understand, but I’m also in love and I have date later and I would like to at least have one good run of the song before we end practice.”

Mingyu sits up straight. He contemplates replying he is not in love, that it is too early to be in love, but also knows no one would listen to him. He just apologizes quickly and shakes his head as if he could get rid of all the thoughts he does not need right now.

Practice runs smoothly after that.

😊

Back in his apartment that, for some reasons he does not know himself, he shares with Seokmin and Minghao, he busies himself with cooking. Most of his friends see music as their escape or drawing, but for Mingyu cooking has always been his favorite way to escape reality. Some people are stress baking, he is stress cooking.

Seokmin and Minghao usually know to let him alone when he gets crazy in the kitchen, just like the good friends they are, but apparently his, non-existent, love life is more interesting than being a good friend.

It is not like Seokmin has even said something the past 30 minutes. He just sits at the table, pretending to scribble lyrics on a piece of paper, when in reality he has been staring at Mingyu the entire time.

And Mingyu can only pretend Seokmin’s not there for so long, so he abandons cutting carrots and turns around to face his friend.

“What do you want?”

“Nothing.” Seokmin replies, grinning.

Mingyu frowns. “And that is why you have been staring at me for 30 minutes straight?”

Seokmin gives up his pretense and clasps his hands together. “I think it would be for the best to tell that dude you like him. You know you like him. Mingyu, I know you.”

Mingyu does not reply.

“Dude, you can pretend to be as dense as Jaehyun as much as you want, but we all know you are not. You can’t keep your eyes off your phone. You giggle the entire time. Sometimes you are worse than Jaehyun and he actually is dating Doyoung. You have never acted this way before except that time you were in love with Jeongguk and before you say it is because you never had a crush, that is bullshit. Just think about it.”

Mingyu stares at his hands, not wanting to face his friend, especially since Seokmin is right.

“I was never in love with Jeongguk.” He decides to reply.

Seokmin snorts. “That is all you got out of whatever I just told you? Please, you were gone for him. Honestly, back in high school we had bets when you two would end up together.”

“You had what?” Mingyu is at a loss for words.

Seokmin shrugs. “Not to unpack a bunch of repressed memories or possibly feelings, but all of us thought you two would end up together. Well, until Jeongguk got together with Sarah and you decided to get over him. It is not really a big deal, it was all back in high school.”

“Wait, are you implying you guys thought Jeongguk liked me?”

“Yeah, it was pretty obvious to everyone except you. And apparently Jeongguk too. I don’t know I never talked to him about it. Does it change anything for you?”

Mingyu thinks about the possibility of his best friend having feelings for him. It feels weird.

“No.” He answers slowly. “Guk is my best friend and I love him, but like I love all of you. What I feel for Wonwoo is different.”

Seokmin grins. “So, you are admitting that you are madly in love with Wonwoo?”

Mingyu blankly stares at him.

Seokmin stares back.

“Yeah I guess I do.” He finally gives in. “I don’t know it is so easy to talk to him and he makes me smile a lot and he makes me feel good and sure he lives on the other side of the world, but for some reason I don’t really care about that because it doesn’t feel like he even is that far away because we just talk so much.”

“Cute.” Minghao cuts in, who has mysteriously appeared, leaning against their kitchen door. Mingyu wouldn’t put it past him to have been there the entire time. Mingyu isn’t the best at focusing on multiple things at the same time and Minghao can move like a cat.

“Just tell him then.”

“But if he doesn’t feel the same? I don’t want him to stop talking to me…”

“Mingyu, I love you, but if you keep your feelings to yourself you might explode at some point and that could be worse than just straight up telling him. I also don’t think he would do that, you are not the only one texting him, aren’t you?”

Mingyu doesn’t get it.

Minghao sighs. “What Seokmin means is, Wonwoo is texting you just as much as you are texting him, it takes two people to hold a conversation and we know he initiates calls just as much as you are, which we should know because we live with you. Obviously, we can’t say he likes you back, but I think there is a possibility. And like Seokmin said, you are incredibly bad at keeping secrets.”

“I think I need to finish dinner. And I need sleep. And then, maybe I will decide to give it a shot.” Mingyu replies, already turning back to his carrots.

Maybe they are right.

He really is bad at keeping secrets.

But is confessing really the only way?

😊

“I really thought it would explode, but thankfully it didn’t.” Mingyu is currently retelling the story of him trying out a new recipe and is wildly gesturing using his entire body.

Wonwoo can’t help but smile softly at the boy on his laptop screen. Mingyu is always moving. Maybe that is why he is a drummer. He always has to move in some way. Different to Wonwoo who can stay still for hours.

Wonwoo thinks it is endearing.

Wonwoo also really wants to try Mingyus cooking because apparently the younger is an amazing cook. And maybe Wonwoo really wants to watch him while he cooks.

And maybe Wonwoo really likes Mingyu.

“I’m glad you are okay. Maybe you shouldn’t try out new recipes that could potentially explode. For your and your roommate’s safety.”

Mingyu pouts. “But it’s fun.”

Wonwoo laughs quietly.

It’s quiet for a few minutes which is quite weird because usually Mingyu always has something to say, a story to tell. But right now, the man seems a bit fidgety.

“Gyu, are you okay?” Wonwoo asks concerned.

Mingyu doesn’t answer right away, he seems to be thinking about something.

“Mingyu”

“I have something to say to you.” Mingyu blurts out suddenly.

Wonwoo frowns. Is it going to be something bad? Does Mingyu not want to talk to him anymore? That can’t be it, right? There has never been an implication that Mingyu doesn’t want to keep this up. Has Wonwoo been reading this all wrong?

“I think … no, wait, I know, … I like you. A lot. As in more than a friend and in a “I want to date you” – way.”

Wonwoos mind goes blank.

“And it’s okay if you don’t feel the same way about me, I just wanted to tell you because you deserved to know and I can totally get over this, it just might take a while, but I will and this doesn’t mean we can’t be friends anymore, right, because I really don’t want to stop talking to you and …” Mingyu rambles on while Wonwoo brain goes into overdrive.

Mingyu can’t like him.

They live on two different sides of the world and Wonwoo can barely keep friendships alive within his own university. He could never handle a relationship with someone living this far away. It’s a miracle they are still talking to each other.

It’s bad enough Wonwoo likes Mingyu, it really shouldn’t be mutual.

Mingyu has stopped rambling and is looking anxiously at him Wonwoo realizes. He doesn’t know what to say. He likes what they have right now. But they can’t continue like this.

They can’t be just friends when they have feelings for each other. But Wonwoo won’t ever be ready for a long-distance relationship so unless Mingyu is moving to England, which is just as unlikely to happen, dating will never be an option.

Wonwoo doesn’t want to stop talking to Mingyu either. But what other option does he have? He can never be what Mingyu wants him to be and in the end it will just hurt their friendship even more and they will part with only bad memories of each other and Wonwoo can’t let that happen.

Maybe they just need some time apart.

He needs some time apart.

“Wonwoo?” Mingyu softly asks, bringing Wonwoo out of his headspace.

“I like you too.” Wonwoo decides to say, his heart hurting when he sees Mingyu beaming up. “But I can’t date you.”

Mingyus smile vanishes. “What.”

“I can’t handle long-distance relationships. It’s a miracle I’ve managed to keep this friendship alive. I’m sorry if I ever led you on, that was not my intention. And maybe the situation would be different if we weren’t living on two different sides of the ocean, but that is how it is and I can’t be in a relationship if it only consists of phone- and videocalls and having to say goodbye if we manage to see each other in person. I really can’t do that Mingyu. I’m so sorry.”

He notices Mingyus glassy eyes and hates himself for being the reason Mingyu is sad, but it doesn’t change anything.

“I understand. But we can still be friends. Nothing has to change.”

Wonwoo smiles sadly. “Everything has changed. I can’t go back to being just friends with you. Maybe you can, but I can’t. I think it is for the best if we stop talking for a while.”

He knows Mingyu wants to say something back, can read it in the way Mingyu bites his lip and struggles with trying not to cry.

It hurts knowing he is the reason for that.

“Ok.” Mingyu finally replies, his voice small, but surprisingly steady.

“I’m sorry Mingyu.” Wonwoo apologizes again.

“No, it’s okay.” Mingyu hurriedly replies. “I will miss talking to you.”

Wonwoo can’t look him into the eyes anymore. “I’ll miss it too. Bye Mingyu.”

He ends the call.

And finally allows his own tears to fall.

Everything hurts.

But it is for the best, he tells himself, it is only for the best.

😊

“For how long has he been like that?” Yugyeom asks, looking at Mingyu who is currently laying on his bed, buried in multiple blankets.

“Two days.” Seokmin replies. “He has only gotten up to go the bathroom so far.”

“And he is like that because…?” Eunwoo wants to know.

“Well, we can’t be too sure because obviously he hasn’t said anything, but we think it has something to do with Wonwoo.” Minghao replies.

Mingyu really loves his friends. He really does, but right now he wants them gone so he can wallow in sadness and cry because Wonwoo doesn’t want to date him.

He wants to blame Seokmin and Minghao for pushing him to confess, but rationally he knows it is not their fault. It is always better to be truthful. Even if he regrets it right now.

“Gyu?” He feels the edge of his bed dipping down and he recognizes Jeongguks voice. Mingyu turns around, not facing his friends standing in the doorstep and immediately buries his face in his best friends’ lap.

Jeongguk immediately starts carding his hands through Mingyus hair. “I got this guys.”

“We’ll see you later then.”

Mingyu hears the door close.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

He does not. But he is grown up enough to know not talking about and only keeping to himself is unhealthy.

Mingyu straightens up and makes place for Jeongguk to actually lay down next to him and the latter lets Mingyu bury his head on his chest. It is a bit weird as it is usually the other way around since Mingyu is significantly taller. But they make it work.

“I like Wonwoo.”

Jeongguk hums.

“And I confessed.”

Jeongguk lets him go in his own pace, not saying anything while Mingyu tells him what happened. He calmy cards his fingers through Mingyus hair and pulls him closer when he feels his shirt starting to get a little bit wet.

“And the worst thing is I can totally understand him. And I know him and his fears, I know where they come from. I just hoped he would do it for me. That I would be worth the risk.”

They stay quiet for a while and Mingyus tears have stopped falling. The embrace of his best friend is warm and calming and Mingyu is very glad to have him.

“Thanks for listening, Guk.” He finally says.

“Always. You are my best friend and I hate seeing you down. You deserve so much happiness.” Jeongguk turns to the side to look in Mingyus eyes. “And for the record, I think you are worth taking every risk out there.”

Mingyu faintly smiles at him and cuddles a bit closer.

If he hadn’t been so exhausted from being sad, he would’ve seen the slight regret lingering in Jeongguks eyes.

“Can we stay like this a little bit longer?”

Even though talking about the situation has helped, Mingyu still doesn’t feel ready to become a full functioning human just yet. It still hurts and he is aware it will hurt for a while, but he just wants to bask in his best friend’s warmness a little bit longer before he starts to pretend, he is okay.

“Of course. We can stay like this as long as you want. I don’t have anything to do anyways.”

They both fall asleep like that.

Mingyu wakes up a few hours later, disoriented. Jeongguk next to him is still asleep. His face looking even younger than usual.

Mingyu smiles to himself. He really is lucky to have him.

“Is that a smile I see Mingyu Kim?”

Mingyu looks up and sees Minghao standing in his doorframe, a small smile on his lips. He shrugs. Talking and Sleeping definitely helped, he feels better now and maybe the world isn’t as black as it was a couple of hours ago, but he is nowhere near his usual cheery self.

“I’m glad. We ordered some food.”

Mingyu raises his eyebrows.

“Seokmin and I wouldn’t dare to touch the kitchen without your supervision.” Minghao grins. “And even though Jaehyun was so kind to suggest getting Doyoung, we figured they shouldn’t have to cancel their date just for us to get fed.”

“How kind of you.” Jeongguk, who has also woken up and apparently listened to their conversation, mumbles.

“Right? I can’t believe we were kind to Jaehyun, it feels weird.” Minghao replies and vanishes again.

Mingyu sits up, feeling a bit too warm, and gets rid of his blankets.

“Want to go join the others or do you want to stay here?” Jeongguk asks, still concerned about his best friend.

“Let’s go join them, I should stop moping around, it’s not going to do anything.”

“It’s okay to be sad though.”

“I know. But I think I could use some distraction.”

Jeongguk smiles and gets up. “Then let’s go.”

Everyone except Jaehyun, who apparently is on a date with Doyoung, is piled up in their living room. Mingyu feels incredibly loved.

“Jae wanted to come too, but we told him he shouldn’t cancel the date, they don’t get to see each other much.” Bambam starts saying, but a slap on his arm from Seokmin makes him shut up.

Mingyu chuckles. “It’s all good.” And he means it. Jaehyun and Doyound had to go through their own pain to finally find happiness in each other and he is still very happy for them. Of course, it kind of hurts hearing about other people being in love and it actually working out for them, but Mingyu has no right to be mad at anyone for Wonwoo not wanting to take the risk to be with him.

“We got your favorite food.” Eunwoo hands him a container full of food.

Mingyus smiles softly. “Thanks guys. Sorry for being so off the past days.”

Seokmin waves him off. “Don’t sweat it, I know I was worse when Hanna and I broke up. You know, maybe you should try writing about it. It helps.”

Mingyu can’t help to let out a small snort. “I don’t think I’d be any good at that, that is more your or Jaehyuns thing. But thanks for the advice.”

“Just a thought.”

Mingyu wasn’t really hungry earlier, but now that he has food in front of him, he realizes not eating anything for two days has left him extremely hungry.

He is not okay, but being surrounded by his closest friends, listening to their chatter and knowing they will always have his back he realizes he will be eventually.

😊

Wonwoo stares at the piece of cake in front of him.

Soonyoung, Jihoon and Junhui are all staring at him, all having finished their pieces already.

“Okay, what the fuck is going on here?” Jihoon demands to know. “You’re even more quiet than usual and it is freaking me out.”

Wonwoo just shrugs. “I’m just not hungry. And I have a lot to do for uni. You know that.”

“No, this is not a Wonwoo-shuts-everyone-out-because-of-uni situation. This is different.” Jihoon replies. “And we are worried.”

Wonwoo looks up. “There is no need to be worried.”

“Oh really? Because according to Soonyoung here you haven’t been eating, you haven’t been sleeping and honestly you look like shit.” Jihoon is brutally honest as usual.

“You don’t sleep either.”

“That’s different, I don’t sleep because I’m in the studio. You are not sleeping because something is bothering you and weighing you down.” Jihoon replies flatly.

“And we’re your best friends and I’ve tried to not say anything until now because I thought you would come to me eventually, but you didn’t and I’m really worried because it seems you’re not even talking to Mingyu.” Soonyoung says.

Wonwoo winces at the mention of Mingyus name. He wishes it would not do anything to him and he wishes he could say he hasn’t thought about Mingyu at all, but that would be a lie. Mingyu is on his mind all the time.

“So, it is because of Mingyu.” Junhui mumbles, more to himself than to anyone else.

“It has nothing to do with Mingyu.” It even hurts saying his name.

He has to remind himself that it’s his own fault. He shouldn’t feel like this.

“No, it definitely has something to do with Mingyu. You were so much happier when you were talking to him.” Jihoon mumbles.

Soonyoung glares at him, but Jihoon just shrugs. “What? It’s the truth and we all know it.”

“What Jihoon actually means is, you two seemed so close. What has happened?” Soonyoung asks softly.

“He confessed and I told him I couldn’t do long-distance and said I wanted to stop talking to him.” Wonwoo blurts out, not feeling like keeping it a secret anymore. “And I like him, but it would have never worked out and I’m just a bit sad about it.”

“Oh Wonwoo.” Soonyoung gets up and wraps his best friend in a hug. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“I didn’t want to talk about it.” He slowly wraps his arms around Soonyoungs waist. It feels being held by someone.

“Typical Wonwoo.” Jihoon mumbles quietly.

“Why would it never work out? If he likes you and you like him, shouldn’t it be the easiest thing in the world?” Junhui wonders.

Wonwoo stares blankly at him.

“No, I know, you think you suck at maintaining friendships, but look at us. We are still here, and we are not going anywhere.” Junhui replies. “Honestly if someone here sucks at maintaining friendships, it would be Jihoon, no offense dude.”

“None taken.” Jihoon shrugs. “I know I can get very anti-social.”

“No, you don’t understand. I don’t think I can bare the thought of only having a relationship through phonecalls and video calls. Meeting maybe twice a year if we get lucky because Mingyu is, as you maybe have forgotten, in a band and they’re currently breaking out and he is going to be super busy and I don’t know if I could deal with it.”

“Well, right now it seems you can’t even deal with not talking to him. No, Soonyoung let me finish.” Jihoon glares at Soonyoung, who seems like he wanted to interrupt him again. “You never know until you try right? Wonwoo I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy since forever. And if you managed to talk to Mingyu all the time until now, why should it change when you’re in a relationship with him? You already acted like a couple anyways.”

Wonwoo doesn’t know what to say. Jihoon does make sense, but he is just so scared of taking the risk.

“Look, you like Mingyu, right? You like him a lot?”

Wonwoo sighs. It’s time to finally be as honest as possible. “Yes. I really like him. I’m pretty sure I’m halfway in love with him at this point.”

“How did it feel when you were talking?”

“Well, amazing. A bit like coming home, which is weird because he is all the way in America, but he kept me grounded and always knew what to say even though we haven’t known each other for super long.”

“And how does it feel not talking to him?”

Wonwoo looks at his hands. “I hate it. I miss it. I miss seeing my phone light up with his messages. He used to send me the most random memes just in case I wasn’t feeling good and needed a laugh. I miss seeing his face, I miss him being excited about his cooking or his band and I miss hearing about his day, and I miss hearing his voice. I just miss him.”

“Isn’t Mingyu worth taking this risk?”

Wonwoo looks up at Soonyoung, who smiles at him softly.

“I can’t tell you the answer buddy, you have to decide for yourself if Mingyu is worth it.”

“I don’t even know if we would actually get along outside of the internet. We only spent hours together in person.”

“Now that just sounds like an excuse to me.”

“And you know you could visit him? Our semester break starts in a couple of days.”

“I don’t think Mingyu wants to talk to me anymore.”

“Dude, no excuses. Do you think Mingyu is worth taking a risk of possible heartbreak and pain?”

Wonwoo breathes in and out. “I think so. Yes”

“Then text him and say you’re sorry and that you’re visiting to find out if you two would work out. You always need to try things out and I know that’s risky, but you only life once. I can’t believe I just said that.”

Wonwoo lets out an airily laugh. “When did you get so wise, Jihoon Lee?”

“I’m a songwriter, I write songs about this kind of shit.”

“And that without ever being in a real serious relationship.” Junhui grins.

Jihoon glares at him.

“Will you text him?” Soonyoung wants to know.

“I think so.” Wonwoo nods. “It’s time to be brave. And these past days have been horrible. Thanks for talking me out of my head. I think I really needed this.”

“Always, that is what friends are there for.” Soonyoung pulls him into another hug.

Wonwoo smiles. He truly is thankful for his friends. He has been afraid for so long, but maybe Mingyu is worth taking the risk. And for the first time in his life, he wants to take it.

😊

Two weeks later Mingyu finds himself at the airport. He keeps biting his lip and he should get rid of that, but he is nervous.

The others don’t know it yet, but Wonwoo had reached out to him two weeks ago and they had a very long video call talking about their feelings which ended with both of them crying and Wonwoo apologizing a million times for being so scared to take a risk.

Mingyu had been over the moon at first, but over the days it has faded into nervousness. He doesn’t really know what to expect.

He just hopes he won’t get his heart broken a second time.

That would really suck.

So here he is, at the airport, waiting for Wonwoo to arrive.

“Mingyu.”

And there he is. He hasn’t changed much since the last time Mingyu has seen him in real life and not just through his laptop screen.

“Hey Wonwoo.” Mingyu can’t help, but to grin at him. His heart feels full knowing Wonwoo actually came. Because he wants to see Mingyu. Because he wants to find out if they would work as a couple and if his feelings … their feelings for each other are real and not just because talking through a phone is easy.

Mingyu thinks he already knows how he feels. Seeing Wonwoo in front of him makes his heart beat faster and faster. He feels whole again as cheesy as it sounds.

“Are you going to hug me or are we going to stand here for another hour?” Wonwoo teases him.

The last rest of nervousness leaves Mingyu and he reaches out to him and pulls him into a tight hug. It feels incredible. This is right where he belongs.

“I haven’t really told anyone you’re coming.” Mingyu tells him later when they’re in the car. “But whatever. I think Seokmin and Hao will just be glad I’m not moping around anymore.”

“I’m…”

“Don’t finish that. Don’t apologize. You did nothing wrong.”

Mingyu knows Wonwoo still feels bad and there is probably nothing he can do to change that for now, but he will stop him from apologizing.

“I’m home.” He shouts when they made in into the apartment. He gets nothing back.

“Okay that buys us a little alone time. No idea where they are, but they’re definitely not home.”

Wonwoo smiles. “You know there are two things I really want to do.”

“And those are?” Mingyu feels himself blushing.

“Number One: I really want to try your cooking and two I really want to kiss you.”

Mingyu grins. “I think that can definitely be arranged.”

He draws Wonwoo closer, tightening his arms around his waist. Wonwoo reaches up and locks his hands behind Mingyus neck.

“I’m really excited to be here.” “I’m really excited you’re here.” They say simultaneously.

Wonwoo grins.

Mingyu leans down and then they’re finally kissing.

There are no fireworks, no explosions, there is just the feeling of belonging and home.

Mingyu doesn’t know how long they’re standing in the living room, just kissing each other. At one point they move to the couch and spend some more time on that.

Wonwoo yawns, breaking the kiss.

“Okay you should really sleep.”

Wonwoo pouts. “It’s in the middle of the day.”

“Yeah, and you just came here from England, which means your body isn’t used to our time zone. You can sleep in my room and I’ll prepare dinner and I will wake you up when it’s ready.”

“But I want to see you cooking.”

“You’re going to be here for like two weeks, I think that can be arranged. But you should really get some sleep. Jetlag is a bitch.”

Wonwoo eventually agrees, feeling how tired his bones are.

Mingyu shows him his room and bathroom. “You can just use one these towels, we can unpack later, just get some sleep.”

“Thank you, Mingyu.”

Mingyu smiles and hesitates only for a second before he presses a kiss on Wonwoos forehead. The latter blushes furiously.

“Can’t you warn a man?”

“No, it’s cute when you blush.”

Wonwoo just smiles and takes the towel Mingyu holds out for him. “You are going to wake me up later, right?”

“Yes, I will, I promise. Food is just as important as sleep.” And with those words Mingyu closes the door behind him, skipping into the kitchen.

He hasn’t even gotten all of his needed ingredients out when he hears the apartment door open.

A minute later he is greeted with all of his friends. That was not planned.

“Ehh what’s up guys.”

“Oh nothing, we just wanted to do a movie night. You know a boys night out, just that we’re not going out and staying in to watch as many movies as we can before Jaehyun starts whining he misses Doyoung and Eunwoo falls asleep.” Bambam grins.

“Are you cooking?” Yugyeom asks curiously.

“Yeah.”

“Hey, that’s great! So … you’re feeling better?” Jaehyun asks carefully.

“Yeah, I actually have something to tell you.” Mingyu sheepishly grins. “Wonwoo is here.”

“WHO IS WHAT?” Seokmin screeches.

“Seok, be quiet please, he’s sleeping.” Mingyu hisses. “And yes, he is here.”

“How did that happen? I mean it’s great I guess, but why haven’t you said something.” Jeongguk wants to know.

Mingyu smiles sheepishly. “He messaged me like two weeks ago and we talked a lot and he said his friends talked some sense into him and he wants to take the risk. He is here because we want to find out if what we’re feeling is real and not just the spur of a moment. He is going to stay for the next two weeks.”

Seokmin screeches again, not caring about Mingyu half-hearted glare. “I’m so happy for you.” And immediately pulls him into a hug.

“I think we all are.” Jaehyun adds.

“I am too. Because I think, no, I know I like him and I think we will be fine.”

Jeongguk is next to pull him into his embrace. “I’m glad he has realized you’re worth it.”

Mingyu beams. “Me too, Guk, me too.”

Dinner has a lively atmosphere. Wonwoo and his friends get along well and Mingyu couldn’t be happier.

This is really all he needs.

😊

It’s been almost two weeks since Wonwoo has arrived in America. And it has been a blast so far.

He was really afraid he and Mingyu would be awkward, but there hasn’t been one occasion so far and it couldn’t have been going better.

Mingyu took him sightseeing the first couple of days and showed him all of his favorite places and the venue they play at the most. Wonwoo can’t wait to see him play there tomorrow.

He also has been at band practices and has met Doyoung, Jaehyuns boyfriend, who is an intern at a hospital. He knows he has never seen two people more in love than those two.

Except maybe himself.

Because the last days have showed him how much he feels for Mingyu and how deep his feelings go. He feels so content and loved in his presence even when Mingyu has to concentrate on his studies and can’t entertain Wonwoo.

He has spent time with Mingyus band and gets along with them just fine. They are very easy to befriend he has found out.

He knows he is leaving all of this behind in two days and surprisingly it doesn’t faze him as much as it probably would have before leaving for the States. Sure, the thought of leaving does make him sad, but it doesn’t terrify him anymore. Even though he knows now what it is like to hug Mingyu, to kiss him and to wake up next to him.

But he feels as long as Mingyu is by his side, he can take on the world.

He won’t tell Jihoon, but his friend was right. He had to take this risk, otherwise he would probably still be miserable.

“What are you thinking about?” Mingyu brings him back to reality, sneaking an arm around Wonwoos waist pressing feathery kisses on his cheeks.

“Nothing much. Just how I’m not terrified leaving the day after tomorrow.” Wonwoo is ready. He is as ready as he will ever be to tell Mingyu he wants this. All of this. Wants him.

“It doesn’t?”

Wonwoo shakes his head and sits up straighter to be able to look at Mingyu properly.

“I think I always knew what I felt for you was more than just a simple crush, I was just too scared to take the risk and coming here was to prove to myself that I could do it and Mingyu, I love you. And I want you. I want all of you and I want this relationship. Because I think we can do this. Because you are worth it. You are everything to me.”

Mingyus eyes are glassy when he cups Wonwoos face in his hands. “I love you too.” He says tearily. “And I want all of that too.”

“So, boyfriends?”

“Boyfriends.”

“Then kiss me.” Wonwoo whispers.

And who is Mingyu to deny his boyfriend.

Things escalate from there, one minute they’re kissing on the couch and in the next they’re on Mingyus bed, being so tangled up in each other, you can’t tell which limb belongs to who.

Mingyus lips burn on Wonwoos skin.

And Wonwoo knows this is where he belongs. Because Mingyu is home.

It doesn’t matter that he is leaving in two days. It doesn’t matter because they love each other and they understand each other and they know they can make it work. They did it before, they can do it again.

It won’t be easy, but love can conquer everything.

Wonwoo is sure of that.

😊

“How was your exam, babe?” Wonwoo asks while munching on an apple.

“I think it went well. Can’t believe if I pass, I will actually have graduated college. It still seems unreal.” Mingyu replies, his hair still wet from the shower he took earlier.

“Well, you better believe it then.”

It’s been a few months since Wonwoo had been visiting Mingyu in America and he is missing him. But it’s not as bad as he thought it would be.

They talk every day and they make sure to check up on each other. A thing they learned is how important communication is. And so far, it’s been going great.

Eunwoo has been trying to schedule a tour for 97 Squad in England and it seems he is being successful. And Mingyu is scheduled to come to England in a few weeks anyways. He wants to meet Wonwoos parents and after that Wonwoo will come back to the States with him to meet Mingyus family.

He is excited.

“Oh, by the way, Seokmin, that idiot, wrote a song about us.”

Wonwoo starts coughing, having gotten a piece of apple stuck in his throat. “He did what?”

“Wrote a song about us. He said and I quote: ‘Since I have no relationship anymore and Jaehyuns songs these days are sappy love songs about Doyoung, I needed a bit of inspiration and took the freedom to take you guys as my muses.’”

“Well, I hope it’s good at least.”

Mingyu shrugs. “It is, it’s Seokmin, I can’t remember if he ever wrote a bad song except that one time in high school.”

“Can I hear it?”

Mingyu grins. “Sure, we actually just recorded it.”

“So you knew about this for longer.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t want to say anything, I wanted it to be a surprise.”

Wonwoo grins. “That is so you.”

“Can’t help myself.” Mingyu grins back, pulling out his phone. “I love you.”

Wonwoo smiles.

“I love you too.”

_“I know it's warmer where you are  
And it's safer by your side  
But right now I can't be what you want  
Just give it time_

_And if you and I  
Can make it through the night  
And if you and I  
Can keep our love alive, we'll fight_

_We can meet in the middle  
Bodies and souls collide  
Dance in the moonlight  
Where all the stars align  
Oh you and I, oh you and I, oh”_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for making it until the end! I hope you like it and it would be cool if you could leave me some feedback on it!
> 
> I have more planned for this universe, but who knows when I will be able to get something new out.
> 
> Come talk to me on twitter: @xcurtaincall
> 
> x
> 
> Ann


End file.
